Buzz
In the aftermath of her husband's assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy crafted an idealized narrative of their life together during an interview with Theodore White from Life magazine. However, the truth about their marriage and JFK's presidency starkly contrasted the fairy tale she sought to portray. Even today, Kennedy's family, friends, and supporters often avoid openly discussing his reckless sexual conduct, severe health issues, and involvement in plots to assassinate foreign leaders. Below are ten persistent myths that perpetuate the illusion of the JFK era as a near-perfect Camelot.
10. JFK Was Exceptionally Wealthy
When you look up the wealthiest or richest US presidents online, John F. Kennedy frequently appears on such lists, though many clarify that he passed away before receiving his father’s fortune. While JFK grew up in a privileged household, he personally had limited financial resources for much of his life. In fact, he relied heavily on his father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy (JPK), whose net worth was estimated at $300–400 million in 1960.
JPK aimed to ensure his children, especially his sons, could focus on gaining influence and pursuing politics without the burden of financial concerns. To achieve this, he established a trust fund worth a million dollars for each child. During his presidency, JFK often expressed frustration over Jackie’s lavish spending, arguing that she failed to grasp their financial constraints.
Due to his untimely death, JFK did not inherit any of his father’s vast fortune. His estate, valued at $10–15 million, was substantial but far from the immense wealth many assume. The majority of this amount was allocated to his children, leaving Jackie with an income that couldn’t support her expensive tastes in fashion and art.
9. Jackie Kennedy Inherited Wealth
Many sources perpetuate the myth that Jackie Kennedy was an “oil heiress,” leading to the widespread belief that she was already wealthy before marrying JFK. However, while Jackie, her sister Lee, and their mother Janet projected an image of affluence, her father, “Black Jack” Bouvier, had squandered his family fortune on women, alcohol, and poor stock investments. After divorcing Bouvier, Janet married Hugh Auchincloss, whose wealth came from his family’s stakes in Standard Oil. Although Jackie grew up surrounded by wealth, she personally had little financial means. Auchincloss primarily left his fortune to his children from prior marriages and those he had with Janet.
Some critics argue that Jackie entered her marriage with JFK fully aware of his infidelity and sexual history, motivated by the allure of his family’s wealth and influence. Rumors suggest that Joe Kennedy even funded Jackie’s extravagant wardrobe to prevent her from divorcing Jack during his political ascent. Despite this, Jackie inherited relatively little from JFK. Even after receiving a portion of her second husband Aristotle Onassis’s fortune, her estate was valued at “only” $47 million in 1994.
8. JFK Was Physically Fit
Many who grew up during JFK’s presidency remember him as a symbol of vitality, but in reality, Kennedy was a profoundly unhealthy man for most of his life. His iconic tan, often seen as a sign of robust health, was actually a side effect of the high doses of corticosteroids he took. From a young age, JFK battled chronic digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, and persistent diarrhea, which were treated with potent medications. While these drugs alleviated his symptoms, they also led to osteoporosis, severely damaging his spine. In 1947, he was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, a then life-threatening condition caused by insufficient steroid hormone production in the adrenal glands.
Beyond Addison’s disease and his spinal and digestive issues, JFK endured numerous health problems while in the White House, including pharyngitis, respiratory infections, high fevers, urinary tract infections (possibly STDs), prostate issues, dehydration, insomnia, abscesses, and high cholesterol. Perhaps most alarming was the extensive list of medications he relied on: corticosteroids for Addison’s disease, procaine injections for his back, and a mix of Lomotil, laxatives, paregoric, phenobarbital, testosterone, and trasentine to manage his digestive troubles. He also took antibiotics for infections and Tuinal to aid his sleep.
7. Joseph Kennedy Made His Money Bootlegging
A widely believed myth is that JPK amassed his wealth through bootlegging during Prohibition. While Joe Kennedy was indeed a dubious businessman with likely ties to Mafia figures, he did not engage in illegal bootlegging. Instead, he profited from selling medicinal alcohol legally and secured import licenses to ensure he could legally bring in liquor once Prohibition was repealed.
In late 1933, as Prohibition was nearing its end, JPK traveled to England to secure an exclusive license from the Distillers Company, granting him sole rights to import brands like Dewar’s, Haig & Haig, and Gordon’s Gin. Leveraging his political influence, he brought along the eldest son of President Franklin Roosevelt to meet with Distillers’ representatives, as well as the prime minister and Winston Churchill. The license was granted, and Somerset Importers was established immediately after Prohibition ended. While JPK used his political connections, the deal itself was entirely legal.
6. JFK And Jackie Had A Happy Marriage
Over time, more critical accounts have unveiled the true nature of JFK: a deeply complex individual. From a young age, he faced near-constant pain and lived with the expectation of a short life, given his health struggles. There’s no question that JFK was a serial philanderer, continuing his reckless sexual behavior throughout his marriage and even during his presidency. His actions not only jeopardized his political decisions but also strained his relationship with Jackie. If Jackie wasn’t already aware of JFK’s disregard for marital fidelity when they married, which seems unlikely, she quickly realized he had no intention of changing his bachelor habits. As JFK’s friend Jim Reed noted, “After the first year, Jackie looked like she had survived a plane crash.”
Their marriage nearly ended in 1956 when JFK chose to go on a European yachting trip with Senator George Smathers instead of staying with his heavily pregnant wife. Jackie delivered a stillborn daughter, but JFK showed no urgency to return to her side. Smathers reportedly had to convince JFK to return if he wanted a future in national politics. When JFK finally came back, Jackie was distant, and the couple grew apart. Joe Kennedy intervened to negotiate a reconciliation, but while Jackie stayed in the marriage, JFK’s behavior remained unchanged.
5. The Assassination Was Unexpected
While most Americans were stunned by JFK’s assassination in Dallas, those closest to the situation were less surprised by the possibility, though shocked by the brazenness of the act. Discussions about a potential assassination were so frequent that JFK himself told his wife on the morning of the tragedy that there was no way to prevent it if a shooter used a high-powered rifle from a tall building. Many of his advisors, including his personal secretary Evelyn Lincoln, had expressed concerns about the Texas trip. These worries were fueled by the hostile treatment UN ambassador Adlai Stevenson had faced in Texas just a month earlier, where he and his wife were physically assaulted by right-wing protesters.
It’s now known that the Kennedys had dealings with and later prosecuted mob figures. This, combined with the hostility from anti-Castro Cubans, the CIA’s plots against Castro, and the rage of far-right extremist groups, created a volatile political climate in the US. Insiders were deeply concerned about the risk of assassination. The CIA-backed assassination of South Vietnam’s President Diem, a fellow Catholic, on November 2, 1963, also weighed heavily on JFK. These factors instilled fear among those aware of the dangers—a fear that ultimately proved justified.
4. JFK’s Reelection In 1964 Was A Sure Thing
Considering Lyndon Johnson’s overwhelming victory in 1964 against Barry Goldwater, many assume JFK would have achieved a similar landslide. However, this outcome wasn’t guaranteed. Kennedy’s trip to Texas aimed to mend divisions within the state’s Democratic Party, where liberals and conservatives were at odds. Civil rights had become a polarizing issue by 1964, and Johnson leveraged his extensive Senate experience to pass landmark legislation, earning him praise from civil rights advocates. Kennedy, on the other hand, faced greater challenges in navigating this issue and was cautious about taking actions that might harm his reelection prospects. While Johnson, seen as “one of their own,” secured Southern support, Kennedy was viewed in the South as an outsider unfamiliar with their way of life.
Another potential obstacle to JFK’s reelection was his sexual indiscretions. Although reporters in the early 1960s typically avoided covering personal scandals, a corruption probe into Johnson’s ally Bobby Baker revealed a questionable woman linked to JFK. The investigation was halted after JFK’s assassination, as Johnson’s ascension to the presidency shifted focus to national healing.
3. Oswald Was Standing When He Fired
Those who watched the TV movie Killing Kennedy (or read the book) were presented with a glaring inaccuracy that could easily evolve into a myth. In the scene, Lee Harvey Oswald is depicted standing in the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository building while firing the shots that killed JFK and injured Governor Connelly. It’s baffling why the writers or producers included such an error. The reality is clear: if the shots originated from the sixth floor, the shooter would have needed to rest his arms on the stacked boxes to stabilize his rifle.
Additionally, the design of the sixth-floor windows makes it impossible to stand while firing a rifle, as the windows only open to about hip height. The Dallas police and Warren Commission used the construction of a “sniper nest” as key evidence that Oswald planned the assassination. The existing evidence overwhelmingly contradicts the movie’s portrayal, making this a significant error or an instance of artistic license that could sow the seeds of myth.
2. JFK’s Catholicism Hurt Him In 1960
For those who lived through JFK’s election campaign, especially Catholics, the significance of his religion remains unforgettable. At the time, many believed a Roman Catholic could never win the presidency due to widespread American distrust of the “Romish” faith. Al Smith, the Irish Catholic governor of New York, lost the 1928 presidential election despite favorable conditions for Democrats. Post-election analysis revealed that Smith’s Catholicism, coupled with negative stereotypes of Irish Americans, played a major role in his defeat.
By 1960, however, the US had undergone significant changes. The impacts of World War II and the Korean War, where Catholics and Protestants served side by side, along with the rise of suburban living, fostered greater religious tolerance. Over time, political alignment became more important than religious differences. JFK and his team recognized this shift and understood that the growing Catholic voting bloc could be a powerful asset to his campaign.
During the Wisconsin primary, Kennedy defeated Hubert Humphrey, with Humphrey winning Protestant areas and JFK securing Catholic ones. While this highlighted religious divisions, it also underscored the strength of the Catholic vote. Kennedy’s victory in predominantly Protestant West Virginia ultimately proved that his Catholicism wasn’t a barrier, as Protestants demonstrated their willingness to support a Catholic president.
1. Jackie Tried To Get Out Of The Car
Footage and photographs from the assassination reveal that Jackie Kennedy climbed onto the trunk of the presidential limousine after the fatal shot. This has sparked various theories about her actions. In the book A Woman Named Jackie, author C. David Heymann controversially claims that Jackie attempted to “flee” the scene and was forced back into the car by Secret Service agent Clint Hill. Heymann portrays her as a spoiled narcissist, contrasting her behavior with that of John Connelly’s wife, who pulled her wounded husband into her lap, while Jackie allegedly did nothing but watch before trying to exit the vehicle.
A more credible explanation is that Jackie, in shock after witnessing her husband’s horrific injury and seeing part of his skull land on the trunk, tried to retrieve it. A detailed analysis of the Zapruder film shows a fragment of skull sliding across the trunk, and Jackie’s movements suggest she was attempting to gather it. Her cupped hand supports this interpretation. Clint Hill later confirmed this, stating she was already returning to the car before he assisted her, refuting claims that he pushed her back.
